Thomas Mulcair signals economy will be focus of NDP attacks on Tories

OTTAWA — NDP leader Thomas Mulcair signalled Monday that the economy — not necessarily brewing scandals like the robocalls affair — will be the focus of his attacks on the Conservative government in the days ahead.

Just two days after winning his party’s leadership, the Montreal MP led off Question Period in the House of Commons. All eyes were on his performance, given his reputation as a fiery political scrapper. But, far from hurling political insults at his opponents across the aisle, Mr. Mulcair adopted a slightly restrained approach and kept to the issue that the NDP believes matters to Canadians — the economy and jobs.

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He demanded answers on how the government will use Finance Minister Jim Flaherty’s budget on Thursday to help jobless Canadians, and what it will do to assist employees who are losing their jobs at Aveos, the Canadian aircraft maintenance firm.

“Thousands of families are about to lose their livelihood with the shutdown of Aveos,” Mr. Mulcair told the Commons. “These jobs are about to be exported. That is the only direction that they know. The government is throwing up its hands and saying there is nothing it can do. There is something it could do and it could do it now.”

Because Stephen Harper was absent from the House — he was on a trip to Asia — the Tories assigned Heritage Minister James Moore to field Mr. Mulcair’s questions.

Mr. Moore had been at the NDP’s weekend leadership convention that chose Mr. Mulcair and had told the media the new leader has a “vicious and personal” approach to politics. That was reflective of a strategy by the Tories to distribute media “talking points” that label Mr. Mulcair as a divisive “opportunist” who wants to hike taxes.

In the Commons Monday, Mr. Moore stuck to this Conservative political strategy as he responded to Mr. Mulcair.

“We are putting more power and money and influence into the pockets of individual Canadians so they can choose how they want to live their lives rather than the big government, central control approach that is the hallmark of the NDP,” Mr. Moore said.

Later, Mr. Mulcair told reporters he’s not worried about the Tories’ strategy because he will persuade Canadians that the NDP has strong economic credentials — with a “competent” team — and can govern responsibly after the 2015 election.

“We’re there, of course, as the Official Opposition, sometimes to call the government to account, to oppose, but more and more, you’re going to hear us propose,” Mr. Mulcair said. “People will have a clearer idea of what the NDP is putting on the table as we go through the next couple of years. They’re very good at defining their adversaries. We’re going to start to define them.”

The Tories are expected to produce hard-edged TV ads that attack Mr. Mulcair’s record and his character — just as they did for Liberal leaders Stéphane Dion, Michael Ignatieff and, more recently, Bob Rae.

The NDP is planning to soon counter those attacks with its own public-relations blitz that defines Mr. Mulcair’s public persona.

Mr. Mulcair told reporters Monday that he will press Mr. Harper on forthcoming pension reform, the “devastating” loss of jobs in the manufacturing sector and the government’s refusal to “apply basic rules of sustainable development” in environmental policy.

Interim Liberal leader Bob Rae welcomed Mr. Mulcair’s new role in the Official Opposition, but he said he’s not worried about the NDP luring away Liberal support.